Ethics in the digital workplace
Digitisation and automation technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI), can affect working conditions in a variety of ways and their use in the workplace raises a host of new ethical concerns.
Visalan hospital in Ylivieska, Finland is to close following problems with recruiting doctors as well as economical issues. The hospital is a psychiatric clinic, but has not been able to treat patients due to a shortage of psychiatric specialists. As a temporary solution to the shortage of specialists, psychiatrists have been paid for commuting from Oulu. The hospital has been trying to recruit new psychiatric specialists, but no candidates have accepted the proposed, for the profession, minimum wage, which is why the hospital will now close. The hospital was emptied in November 2016 and the 100 redundancies will be executed in the near future. The possibility to move some staff to other hospitals within Pohjois-Pohjanmaa Hospital district is being investigated.
Updated, 12/12/2016;On 2 December 2016 employer-employee negotiations were concluded resulting in 31 jobs cut and the remaining 69 employees being offered other jobs within the Pohjois-Pohjanmaa Hospital district.
Eurofound (2016), Visalan Hospital, Closure in Finland, factsheet number 89303, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://restructuringeventsprod.azurewebsites.net/restructuring-events/detail/89303.